As the Beijing correspondent for
The New Yorker, Evan Osnos was on the ground in China for years, witness to profound political, economic, and cultural upheaval. In
Age of Ambition, he describes the greatest collision taking place in that country: the clash between the rise of the individual and the Communist Party’s struggle to retain control.

4 out of 5 stars

Come back when you have a warrant!

By
Neuron
on
11-06-15

Country Driving

A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory

By:
Peter Hessler

Narrated by:
Peter Berkrot

Length: 16 hrs and 34 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
433

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
260

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
254

In the summer of 2001, Peter Hessler, the longtime Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker, acquired his Chinese driver's license. For the next seven years, he traveled the country, tracking how the automobile and improved roads were transforming China.

5 out of 5 stars

In defense of the narrator

By
Timothy
on
06-22-10

Factory Girls

From Village to City in a Changing China

By:
Leslie T. Chang

Narrated by:
Susan Ericksen

Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
323

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
184

Story

4 out of 5 stars
180

A book of global significance that provides new insight into China,
Factory Girls demonstrates how the mass movement from rural villages to cities is remaking individual lives and transforming Chinese society, much as immigration to America's shores remade our own country a century ago.

4 out of 5 stars

Cumulative Effect

By
Roy
on
08-23-09

Wish Lanterns

Young Lives in New China

By:
Alec Ash

Narrated by:
James Patrick Cronin

Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
24

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
21

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
20

There are more than 320 million Chinese between the ages of 16 and 30. Children of the one-child policy, born after Mao, with no memory of the Tiananmen Square massacre, they are the first net native generation to come of age in a market-driven, more international China. Their experiences and aspirations were formed in a radically different country from the one that shaped their elders, and their lives will decide the future of their nation and its place in the world.

Oracle Bones

A Journey Through Time in China

By:
Peter Hessler

Narrated by:
Peter Berkrot

Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
232

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
167

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
168

A century ago, outsiders saw China as a place where nothing ever changes. Today, the country has become one of the most dynamic regions on earth. In Oracle Bones, Peter Hessler explores the human side of China's transformation, viewing modern-day China and its growing links to the Western world through the lives of a handful of ordinary people.

5 out of 5 stars

Another Excellent Work

By
Michael Moore
on
12-01-11

The American Civil War

By:
The Great Courses,
Gary W. Gallagher Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin

Narrated by:
Professor Gary W. Gallagher Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin

Length: 24 hrs and 36 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,422

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,289

Story

5 out of 5 stars
1,278

Between 1861 and 1865, the clash of the greatest armies the Western hemisphere had ever seen turned small towns, little-known streams, and obscure meadows in the American countryside into names we will always remember. In those great battles, those streams ran red with blood-and the United States was truly born.

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Series

By
Rodney
on
07-09-13

Age of Ambition

Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China

By:
Evan Osnos

Narrated by:
George Backman,
Evan Osnos

Length: 16 hrs and 47 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
965

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
838

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
839

As the Beijing correspondent for
The New Yorker, Evan Osnos was on the ground in China for years, witness to profound political, economic, and cultural upheaval. In
Age of Ambition, he describes the greatest collision taking place in that country: the clash between the rise of the individual and the Communist Party’s struggle to retain control.

4 out of 5 stars

Come back when you have a warrant!

By
Neuron
on
11-06-15

Country Driving

A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory

By:
Peter Hessler

Narrated by:
Peter Berkrot

Length: 16 hrs and 34 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
433

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
260

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
254

In the summer of 2001, Peter Hessler, the longtime Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker, acquired his Chinese driver's license. For the next seven years, he traveled the country, tracking how the automobile and improved roads were transforming China.

5 out of 5 stars

In defense of the narrator

By
Timothy
on
06-22-10

Factory Girls

From Village to City in a Changing China

By:
Leslie T. Chang

Narrated by:
Susan Ericksen

Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
323

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
184

Story

4 out of 5 stars
180

A book of global significance that provides new insight into China,
Factory Girls demonstrates how the mass movement from rural villages to cities is remaking individual lives and transforming Chinese society, much as immigration to America's shores remade our own country a century ago.

4 out of 5 stars

Cumulative Effect

By
Roy
on
08-23-09

Wish Lanterns

Young Lives in New China

By:
Alec Ash

Narrated by:
James Patrick Cronin

Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
24

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
21

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
20

There are more than 320 million Chinese between the ages of 16 and 30. Children of the one-child policy, born after Mao, with no memory of the Tiananmen Square massacre, they are the first net native generation to come of age in a market-driven, more international China. Their experiences and aspirations were formed in a radically different country from the one that shaped their elders, and their lives will decide the future of their nation and its place in the world.

Oracle Bones

A Journey Through Time in China

By:
Peter Hessler

Narrated by:
Peter Berkrot

Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
232

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
167

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
168

A century ago, outsiders saw China as a place where nothing ever changes. Today, the country has become one of the most dynamic regions on earth. In Oracle Bones, Peter Hessler explores the human side of China's transformation, viewing modern-day China and its growing links to the Western world through the lives of a handful of ordinary people.

5 out of 5 stars

Another Excellent Work

By
Michael Moore
on
12-01-11

The American Civil War

By:
The Great Courses,
Gary W. Gallagher Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin

Narrated by:
Professor Gary W. Gallagher Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin

Length: 24 hrs and 36 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,422

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,289

Story

5 out of 5 stars
1,278

Between 1861 and 1865, the clash of the greatest armies the Western hemisphere had ever seen turned small towns, little-known streams, and obscure meadows in the American countryside into names we will always remember. In those great battles, those streams ran red with blood-and the United States was truly born.

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Series

By
Rodney
on
07-09-13

On China

By:
Henry Kissinger

Narrated by:
Nicholas Hormann

Length: 20 hrs and 12 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
619

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
499

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
494

The eminent historian and strategist reflects on how China's past illuminates its 21st-century trajectory, drawing on 40 years of intimate acquaintance with the country and its leaders.

5 out of 5 stars

Long, academic, bland - AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ!

By
Ben
on
02-18-12

Everything Under the Heavens

How the Past Helps Shape China's Push for Global Power

By:
Howard W. French

Narrated by:
Nicholas Hormann

Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
43

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
35

Story

4 out of 5 stars
37

For many years after its reform and opening in 1978, China maintained an attitude of false modesty about its ambitions. That role, reports Howard French, has been set aside. China has asserted its place among the global heavyweights, revealing its plans for pan-Asian dominance by building its navy, increasing territorial claims to areas like the South China Sea, and diplomatically bullying smaller players.

5 out of 5 stars

Eye Opening

By
Richard E Hartley
on
09-14-17

China: A History by Keay, John (2009)

By:
John Keay

Narrated by:
Anne Flosnik

Length: 25 hrs and 29 mins

Unabridged

Overall

0 out of 5 stars
0

Performance

0 out of 5 stars
0

Story

0 out of 5 stars
0

Despite the recent rise of China to a position of dominance on the world economic stage, Chinese history remains an elusive subject. Yet it is this vast narrative of appalling loss, superhuman endeavor, and incredible invention that has made China the superpower it is today.

The Souls of China

The Return of Religion After Mao

By:
Ian Johnson

Narrated by:
Ian Johnson

Length: 17 hrs and 6 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
20

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
17

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
18

The Souls of China tells the story of one of the world's great spiritual revivals. Following a century of violent antireligious campaigns, China is now filled with new temples, churches, and mosques - as well as cults, sects, and politicians trying to harness religion for their own ends. Driving this explosion of faith is uncertainty - over what it means to be Chinese and how to live an ethical life in a country that discarded traditional morality a century ago and is searching for new guideposts.

5 out of 5 stars

Engaging and informative

By
John
on
06-20-17

China's Second Continent

How a Million Migrants Are Building a New Empire in Africa

By:
Howard W. French

Narrated by:
Don Hagen

Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
141

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
126

Story

4 out of 5 stars
122

An exciting, hugely revealing account of China’s burgeoning presence in Africa - a developing empire already shaping, and reshaping, the future of millions of people. A prizewinning foreign correspondent and former
New York Times bureau chief in Shanghai and in West and Central Africa, Howard French is uniquely positioned to tell the story of China in Africa. Through meticulous on-the-ground reporting, French crafts a layered investigation of astonishing depth and breadth.

5 out of 5 stars

He knows Both Africa and China

By
Malick Tchakpedeou
on
12-01-16

River Town

Two Years on the Yangtze

By:
Peter Hessler

Narrated by:
Peter Berkrot

Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
305

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
222

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
223

In the heart of China's Sichuan province, amid the terraced hills of the Yangtze River valley, lies the remote town of Fuling. Like many other small cities in this ever-evolving country, Fuling is heading down a new path of change and growth, which came into remarkably sharp focus when Peter Hessler arrived as a Peace Corps volunteer, marking the first time in more than half a century that the city had an American resident.

5 out of 5 stars

Peter Berkrot Again?

By
Abstraction
on
07-10-11

Dealing with China

An Insider Unmasks the New Economic Superpower

By:
Henry M. Paulson

Narrated by:
Kevin Stillwell

Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
262

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
237

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
237

When Hu Jintao, China's then vice president, came to visit the New York Stock Exchange and Ground Zero in 2002, he asked Hank Paulson to be his guide. It was a testament to the pivotal role that Goldman Sachs played in helping China experiment with private enterprise. In
Dealing with China, the best-selling author of
On the Brink draws on his unprecedented access to both the political and business leaders of modern China to answer several key questions.

4 out of 5 stars

Listened to the book then bought the print copy

By
William Crutcher
on
07-06-15

Dreaming in Chinese

Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love, and Language

By:
Deborah Fallows

Narrated by:
Catherine Byers

Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
100

Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars
88

Story

4 out of 5 stars
86

Deborah Fallows has spent a lot of her life learning languages and traveling around the world. But nothing prepared her for the surprises of learning Mandarin - China's most common language - or the intensity of living in Shanghai and Beijing. Over time, she realized that her struggles and triumphs in studying learning the language of her adopted home provided small clues to deciphering behavior and habits of its people, and its culture's conundrums.

5 out of 5 stars

Interesting examination of Chinese culture

By
Catherine
on
04-24-13

Asia's Reckoning

China, Japan, and the Fate of U.S. Power in the Pacific Century

By:
Richard Mcgregor

Narrated by:
Steve West

Length: 16 hrs and 14 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
50

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
42

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
43

Richard McGregor's
Asia's Reckoning is a compelling account of the widening geopolitical cracks in a region that has flourished under an American security umbrella for more than half a century. The toxic rivalry between China and Japan, two Asian giants consumed with endless history wars and ruled by entrenched political dynasties, is threatening to upend the peace underwritten by Pax Americana since World War II.

5 out of 5 stars

Very well done.

By
Thomas Rasmussen
on
01-13-18

To Live

A Novel

By:
Yu Hua,
Michael Berry

Narrated by:
David Shih

Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
5

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
5

Story

5 out of 5 stars
5

This searing novel, originally banned in China but later named one of that nation's most influential books, portrays one man's transformation from the spoiled son of a landlord to a kindhearted peasant. After squandering his family's fortune in gambling dens and brothels, the young, deeply penitent Fugui settles down to do the honest work of a farmer. Forced by the Nationalist Army to leave behind his family, he witnesses the horrors and privations of the Civil War, only to return years later to face a string of hardships brought on by the ravages of the Cultural Revolution.

What is Western Civilization? According to Professor Noble, it is "much more than human and political geography," encompassing myriad forms of political and institutional structures - from monarchies to participatory republics - and its own traditions of political discourse. It involves choices about who gets to participate in any given society and the ways in which societies have resolved the tension between individual self-interest and the common good.

5 out of 5 stars

Highly recommended

By
Mike Keith
on
08-08-16

The Search for Modern China

By:
Jonathan D. Spence

Narrated by:
Frederick Davidson

Length: 36 hrs and 55 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
107

Performance

3 out of 5 stars
85

Story

4 out of 5 stars
85

The history of China is as rich and strange as that of any country on earth. Yet for many, China’s history remains unknown, or known only through the stylized images that generations in the West have cherished or reviled as truth. With his command of character and event - the product of 30 years of research and reflection in the field - Spence dispels those myths in a powerful narrative. Over four centuries of Chinese history, Spence fashions the astonishing story of the effort to achieve a modern China.

5 out of 5 stars

Great Read, Difficult Chinese

By
Patricia
on
01-02-13

Publisher's Summary

From one of China’s most acclaimed writers, his first work of nonfiction to appear in English: a unique, intimate look at the Chinese experience over the last several decades, told through personal stories and astute analysis that sharply illuminate the country’s meteoric economic and social transformation.

Framed by ten phrases common in the Chinese vernacular - “people”, “leader”, “reading”, “writing”, “Lu Xun” (one of the most influential Chinese writers of the twentieth century), “disparity”, “revolution”, “grassroots”, “copycat”, and “bamboozle” - China in Ten Words reveals as never before the world’s most populous yet oft-misunderstood nation. In “Disparity”, for example, Yu Hua illustrates the mind-boggling economic gaps that separate citizens of the country. In “Copycat”, he depicts the escalating trend of piracy and imitation as a creative new form of revolutionary action. And in “Bamboozle”, he describes the increasingly brazen practices of trickery, fraud, and chicanery that are, he suggests, becoming a way of life at every level of society.

Characterized by Yu Hua’s trademark wit, insight, and courage, China in Ten Words is a refreshingly candid vision of the “Chinese miracle” and all its consequences, from the singularly invaluable perspective of a writer living in China today.

Critic Reviews

“Moving and elegantly crafted . . . Offers rare insight into the cause and effect of China’s "economic miracle", focusing close attention on the citizens of the world’s most populous country. With an intimate tone and witty prose, Yu looks at the "effects that seem so glorious and searches for their causes, whatever discomfort that may entail," training his incisive eye on the quotidian as well as the grand . . . His book describes his particular experience, but hints at something much more expansive.” (
Publishers Weekly)

Best Popular Book on China

Fantastic book! I have now read 3 "popular" style books written about China, this is by far the best one. (The others were Dreaming in Chinese by Fallows- pretty good from a linguistics angle and Lost on Planet China by Troost - not horrible, but there's a lot better out there i'm sure). The author of this book, Yu Hua, is a prominent Chinese author who lives in Beijing/Hangzhou. He has written a number of very successful Chinese novels. This one, is ten essays on various parts of China. It is banned in China. It's a chinese person being honest about the Chinese government and history. This is a gold mine.

Reading and Copycat were probably my two favorite essays. In the first, he talks about growing up in the cultural revolution and scrounging around for books to read. He almost never gets past Mao's little red book and Lu Xun's various writings. He does find some books that have been extremely battered, often only partially surviving to feed his literary desires.

In copycat he talks about the chinese mentality behind making copycat products. A couple of times he has had fictitious interviews of him published and he will confront a reporter on it and the reporter simply says "it's copycat" and in the chinese culture, that justifies it.

There are many good things for him to say about China as well. This book was well written, engaging and so helpful for someone living in China to understand it a bit more. I enthusiastically recommend it to anyone looking for a thoughtful, accessible, historical and contemporary read on modern China.

A collection of the writers experiences

This is a good overview of China and I often think of some of the words when I am walking around here now. The one that most comes to mind is disparity. I see the construction workers and cleaners who lead a hard scrabble life working all day and often sharing squalid dormitories at night, where they play cards and sit around simply constructed tables with stools playing cards or eating. This is in sharp contrast to the so called middle class guy that now has a car, an apartment, built by one of the hard working migrants mentioned above and all the trapping of success we have come to associate with a decent life.In all fairness, I live near Shanghai, so my perspective is perhaps a bit too optimistic. There are plenty of other provinces where this disparity is greater and the infrastructure isn't as modern as where I am based. Yu Hua gives us a great overview in this brief account of a large and complex country that is hurtling towards modernity. I especially liked his account of how he learned to be a dentist. A profession he took up after high school. He describes in poignant detail how a veteran dentist showed him how to extract teeth and then had him copycat the process after having only watched two times. He was nervous and couldn't even look the patient in the eye. The book is by no means an exhaustive work, but it was entertaining and provoked some better understanding of a place I have been in for nearly 5 years. Chinese people are not usually so forthcoming and so it can be a place that seems barbarous and even bizarre at times. It is always interesting and many times shocking and surprising to simply observe life in China.

10 For 10! Great Book on China!

These are just a few of the 10 words that the author uses in describing not only historical China, but today’s modern China.

As a frequent visitor to China myself, I would say that the writer is spot on with just about everything that he’s telling us. China is a culture rich in tradition, history, and amazing people, who have gone through evolution of change in leadership, and now are surging ahead to become the global economic power in the world in a short time.

If you have an interest in China, this book will be perfect for you. It’s short, concise, and the author, Yu Hua, does a fantastic job of keeping us engaged throughout.

Enjoy reading about China, old and new, and this excellent book, China in 10 Words!

An understanding and critical view issues in China

Having read Yu Hua's 'Brothers', I was intrigued by themes in the novel and was interested to read more of Hua's work. 'China in Ten Words' did not disappoint. Having chosen these ten words from his own experiences, Hua explained the terms (not all meaning what U.S. Americans would expect) using stories from his life in China. It is fascinating and I could easily see connections between the two books and became shocked by the authenticity of the people and events of 'Brothers'.

Great stories, amazing book.

Really an honest and open introspection about the author own experiences and China as a whole. Really enjoyable times and it really opened my eyes to the current Chinese culture. I didn't like the narrator, but only because it felt he didn't care about the content of the book. Nevertheless the narration is not terrible,

Epic. Insightful and valuable noise.

The content is a slice of modern China as few may tell. The ending was abrupt, but overall, a rare tale of life from the Cultural Revolution through modern times. Living in China as a foreigner, I find this perspective deeply valuable.